New aim against childhood trauma

Updated 11:22 am, Friday, November 11, 2011

ALBANY — Children seem resilient, but an early trauma can change the course of their lives.

Research has shown that many adults who abuse drugs or alcohol or have mental health problems suffered trauma as a child, ranging from child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and domestic violence.

Childhood trauma "has an effect on their physical health, their mental health, their ability to relate to others and their ability to do well in school, work and the community," said Christine Deyss, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse New York.

In response to the research of the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences, a group of providers in the Capital Region are working together to change the way they treat children and families in crisis. Rather than focusing solely on the family or individual's immediate predicament, they want to find the trauma that triggered the problem and address it.

"When you have a difficult person acting out in front of you, it used to be that you would try to deal with the behavior," Deyss said. "Now there is an understanding that you need to deal with the trauma behind the behavior."

More Information

The background

In the late 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente surveyed 17,000 middle-class members of Kaiser and asked them what types, if any, of childhood trauma they experienced. The categories included abuse, neglect, domestic violence, living with a substance-abusing household member and loss of a parent. Almost two-thirds reported at least one trauma, and more than one of five reported three or more. The study found that the more trauma a person suffered, the more likely they developed a multitude of serious health and social problems.

In addition to addiction, mental illness and criminal behavior, the study showed that early childhood trauma was also associated with smoking, obesity, diabetes and stroke. The study's authors suggested that people who suffered trauma turned to alcohol, drugs and smoking as coping devices to deal with their emotional turmoil.

The Charles R. Wood Foundation awarded $75,000 to the coalition's HEARTS Initiative. The goal of "Healthy Environments and Relationships that Support" is to reduce costly later-life problems by intervening early.

"It benefits everybody," said Heather Larkin, a professor at the University at Albany's School of Social Welfare who is leading the project. "The healthy development of citizens has a high payoff for society as a whole."

The coalition includes several Capital Region institutions that have a long history of treating troubled children, including the St. Anne Institute, La Salle School and the Homeless and Traveler's Aide Society. Also involved in the project are The WAIT House, Community Hospice and Prevent Child Abuse New York.

Bill Wolff, executive director of La Salle, credited the School of Social Welfare with keeping local providers up to date on the current treatment trends.

"They have this license to think into the future for us," Wolff said.

Larkin is helping train the agencies to create a "culture of recovery" within the workplace by providing support and education to the staff.

"So the culture of the agency becomes more like a therapeutic milieu," Larkin said. "A real culture of recovery that mobilizes change."